Edinburgh sets date for tram decision

1 Mar Edinburgh City Council is set to take the final decision this month on whether to extend its tram service to Newhaven.

The Council’s transport and environment committee voted yesterday to take the final business case to the 14 March meeting of the full council for a final decision.

Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “This project is one of the most important things that we can do for this great city so that current and future generations can share in Edinburgh’s success. It’s not purely about transport, it’s about sustainable economic growth - building resilience into our public transport infrastructure, unlocking swathes of brownfield development opportunities to let communities in the north of the city achieve their potential and boosting employment and quality of life by linking one of Scotland’s most densely populated areas safely, securely and affordably with key hubs for jobs, leisure and travel.”

She added that a small number of issues which remain unresolved but that she is confident the project team will work closely with the contractor to address these during the six-month ‘early contractor involvement’ period.

“Edinburgh is growing faster than any other city in Scotland and we simply cannot stand still and expect current public transport provision and infrastructure to cope with the additional demand that an extra 100,000+ residents by 2039 would create,” she said. “No other credible alternative has been identified beyond investing in a sustainable, fully integrated public transport network where buses and trams operate seamlessly together. No other credible alternative has been identified which would deliver the same economic and development benefits to our city. This is the best way forward for Edinburgh and I’m confident Council will back the project next month.”